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October 7, 2009

Brownstoner Directory Launches

Today's a big day around here, as we launch the new Brownstoner Directory (along with a new Navigation Bar along the top of the page). The Directory is a new search-driven resource for Brownstoner readers looking to find everything from contractors to architects to brokers to lawyers, and for those service providers to reach the most active and affluent group of homeowners, renovators and house hunters in the tri-state area. We've got more than a dozen businesses signed up pre-launch to flesh out the look and feel of the new paid feature but now we need the help of the Brownstoner community to take it to critical mass: If you have worked with any high-quality and trustworthy service providers in recent years (anywhere in the New York area—not just Brooklyn!), please spread the word! Folks who sign up before October 15 get to take advantage of the introductory pricing. In addition to a basic listing in the directory, companies can also sign up for enhanced listings with mini-sites, which are basically their own homepages within Brownstoner.com; for example, take a look at the Nemo Tile minisite. Interested parties can learn more about joining the Directory here. Thanks!




Posted by Brownstoner at 9:41 AM | Comments (19)
Categories: Directory

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Comments

First nit picked?
Can you switch the "Home" & "Forum" titles to the right side? Those are the most frequently used & it's awkward to have them on the left.
Thanks,

Posted by: Arkady at October 7, 2009 9:44 AM

First Accolade?
Directory is a neat idea!

Posted by: Arkady at October 7, 2009 9:45 AM

If you aren't seeing a new navigation bar, hit reload on your browser.

Posted by: WBer at October 7, 2009 10:01 AM

Sexy

Posted by: dirty_hipster at October 7, 2009 10:01 AM

I like it. Hope to see many more companies as time goes on.

Posted by: Montrose Morris at October 7, 2009 10:08 AM

Looks good.
As a suggestion, would it also be possible to link through from the directory to readers recommendations of service providers. That is, if I look up 'architects' for example, it would be good to link through both to a set of phone #'s and websites and some commentary about which ones the Brownstoner community recommends & why.

Posted by: etson at October 7, 2009 10:09 AM

Always wondered when you would think of doing this! Great idea- good luck.

Posted by: bxgrl at October 7, 2009 10:13 AM

Great idea - much easier that trying to go through old posts to find services. But I'd also like to see the capacity to have specific recommendations or comments on product/services. A great website does not a great company make.

Posted by: Brooklyn Red at October 7, 2009 10:32 AM

Anyone have other ideas for other home services categories to be added?

I can think of a few:

- computer and data network services
(lotta people looking for help with home-wide / home office setups and dealing with maintenance issues post-install)

- audio/video installation
(home theater, wall mounts etc.)

Posted by: jeffrey at October 7, 2009 10:53 AM

stop repositioning my browser, please.

Posted by: jcnycarch at October 7, 2009 10:57 AM

the directory is a neat idea, although to be really useful it should include user reviews, sort of like the restaurant guide. otherwise it's just plain advertising.

by the way, i gotta gripe about the current layout of the front page. not sure if it changed in the recent update or if i just didn't notice it earlier, but the front page is now almost entirely consumed by the title bar, navigation bar, banner ad, and sidebar ads. i just loaded the front page and exactly two lines of actual blog content (plus the associated image) were visible without scrolling down. the sidebar content is also getting lost in a sea of ads. my screen resolution is 1280x1024, which i think is pretty typical and allows most sites to show quite a bit of content.

i know these are trying economic times and advertising revenue is probably more important than ever. just wanted to register my opinion that the clutter is making the site harder (or at least less pleasant) to peruse.

Posted by: z at October 7, 2009 11:18 AM

You probably need to refresh your browser or clear your cache. It's definitely a caching issue. The layout, size, etc. have not changed!

Posted by: brownstoner at October 7, 2009 11:26 AM

Could you also add a category for building inspectors/engineers?

I second the comment that user reviews should be enabled.

Posted by: bklyn11238 at October 7, 2009 12:33 PM

I've always loved the panorama brick worksite photo in the banner, glad that has stayed.

Posted by: infinitejester at October 7, 2009 12:37 PM

how do you find electricians?

Posted by: randolph at October 7, 2009 12:44 PM

Agree with Arkady. I preferred the tabs that stuck up on the right to the new layout (I am right handed, so a bit biased toward that placement). Also thought it looked more nifty, but other than that, congrats. This should be useful.

Posted by: Nokilissa at October 7, 2009 1:06 PM

yes, its useless without user reviews....

Posted by: gowanusgus at October 7, 2009 1:58 PM

We would respectfully disagree that it's useless without user reviews. It's meant as a starting point to create a short list of service providers at the beginning of a search; in the case of service providers who have mini-sites with photos, etc. it's quite a reasonable way to begin finding a contractor. And because it's paid, it should avoid the "noise" of Craigslist, which is cluttered with fly-by-nights. As we found out with Brokerate (and we've seen to a certain extent on the Forum), user reviews are also quite prone to competitors filing false negative reviews--and discerning the "real" ones from the fakes is an almost impossible task.

Posted by: brownstoner at October 7, 2009 3:20 PM

Arkady/Noklissa,
Agree that the tabs in the upper right looked a little better, but we're all coming at it from the perspective of heavy users. Can't tell you how many regular but not diehard users have told us over the years that they'd never even noticed the tabs! Seems crazy, but would rather err on the side of hitting people over the head than going unnoticed in this case...

Posted by: brownstoner at October 7, 2009 3:23 PM

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